Some digital cameras that take still images have a moving image capture function using the motion JPEG format. On the other hand, some digital video cameras have a function of capturing a still image at an arbitrary timing during capture of a moving image. Using the cameras with such functions, a still image and moving image can be selectively captured according to a scene or purpose of capture, and the user can select a captured data format according to his or her favor.
However, the capture function in the digital cameras cannot record a still image and moving image at the same time, since it is executed after either the still or moving image capture mode is uniquely selected. Also, recording media used in the digital cameras are mainly semiconductor memory cards such as Compact Flash cards (to be referred to as CF cards hereinafter), Smart Media cards (to be referred to as SM cards hereinafter), and the like, have limited recording capacities, and are expensive. Therefore, upon capturing a moving image by motion-JPEG, it is difficult to record data for a long period of time or to record a plurality of moving image data.
The digital video camera can capture a still image at an arbitrary timing during capture of a moving image. In such case, moving image data is recorded on a tape medium as stream data, and still image data is saved on a tape or another recording medium. When still images are recorded on the tape, recorded moving image data is disrupted during the time band of captured still images. When still images are saved in another recording medium, since different recording media are used, it is not easy to associate the moving image and still images with each other later.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned problems, and has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus and method, which capture a still image and a moving image for several frames before and after the still image, and hold the captured still and moving images in association with each other.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus and method, which play back and display a captured still image and a moving image for several frames before and after the still image.